Well, this is the newest chapter. Last time things weren't looking so good for our dashing hero and plucky heroine… Thank you very much to anyone who has given this story a chance. I am sorry I write so slowly. I am inexperienced and there are still a lot of things I haven't quite sorted out in this fanfiction, particularly how I'm going to weave in all the back-story. The main back-story being who Midori's real parents are and how Subaru came to be raising her. Don't worry; I'll work it in. I hope you like the new chapter. It contains an unusual cameo of sorts…

The Season of the Witch
By Angel Maxwell

Chapter 3: Waking

Something warm. A pale yellow glow enveloped Subaru, instilling in him an indescribable comfort. This strange feeling was a comfort that was both joy and sorrow at once. The glow was transforming into walls all around him, the cream-colored walls of a hospital nursery. Subaru was rocking gently back and forth, a tiny bundle snuggled in his arm. The bundle squirmed and emitted a teeny whimper.

"Please don't cry," he spoke softly. A cherubic little face peered back at him curiously from the pink flannel blanket. She was beautiful, a perfect little person, just hours old. Her eyes were the smoky color that all newborns possess and a wisp of black fluff peeked out from under a pink knit cap.

"Little Midori," Subaru sighed as he cupped her soft cheek in the palm of his hand. "So innocent… too young to understand… that your mommy is gone… forever…" The emotionality of the situation finally caught up to the man in the rocking chair and hot tears welled up in his eyes. Even his right eye, which was blind, was still capable of crying.

"I… I couldn't protect her," he sobbed quietly. "Just like I couldn't protect my sister… and I couldn't protect my… I couldn't protect Seishirou… They're all dead… Everyone I love seems destined to die tragically. That's why…" He paused to rub his salty cheek with the back of his hand. "That's why I never want to love anyone again…"

As if in response to his pained words, the infant gurgled inquisitively and lifted a tiny fist. As her rosy little digits wrapped around his index finger, Subaru felt his heart melt. Something long absent, a smile, crawled across his trembling lips.

"I think I can make an exception for you, baby girl," he breathed. "I can't promise that I'll be able to protect you. But I'll sure as hell try… All we've got now is each other, Midori… my Midori…"

When he looked down again all that rested in his arms was an empty blanket. Baby Midori had vanished into thin air. Just as panic struck him, the scene transformed again. What was warm and bright became cold and dark. Subaru was waking from his dream and emerging into the cruelness of reality.

Midori was dead. It was the first and only thought on Subaru's mind as he reentered consciousness. The sight of her small body falling limply to the ground, oozing blood onto the grass replayed over and over in his brain, driving him mad with grief.

"So, finally woke up, eh?" a harsh growl echoed in the darkness. It wasn't until he tried to sit up to see who had addressed him that Subaru even realized that his arms and legs were shackled down tightly. The clang of metal on metal ensued as he tried to wrench himself free from the restraints but he didn't speak a word. Though there wasn't much light in the room, the captive figured that he must be strapped onto some sort of bed or stretcher.

"Don't want to talk?" the rough voice responded to his silence. "Well you don't hafta talk to me… But the boss wants some words with you, and you'd better not give him the silent treatment. You've seen for yourself that he doesn't go easy on anyone… even children."

Subaru gritted his teeth hard, wordless rage steaming hotly from his nostrils. It was a funny feeling; vicious thoughts of revenge seemed to be bubbling up inside him, overpowering his previous state of all-consuming despair. If his arm and leg restraints had not been so well constructed Subaru was sure that he would have gone on a destructive rampage.

The guard who had barked at him ignored the prisoner's wrath and proceeded with his duties. The medium's bed must have been on wheels because he soon found himself being pushed out of the murky holding room and into a bright hallway. The eerie squeaking sound of moving wheels hung over all that transpired.

Fluorescent lights that passed by overhead stung Subaru's eyes, which were already sore from crying. This was a long corridor, cold and sterile, lined on both sides with closed doors. It smelled like a hospital but the prisoner could feel that no acts of kindness or healing ever took place within these walls. But then, how could they? His captors clearly had no concept of love if they could remorselessly slaughter an innocent girl, his Midori.

After what seemed like an interminable journey, the grunt stopped in front of a plain metal door and gained entry with a swipe of a card key and a quickly typed code. It was a very large room, Subaru could tell as soon as his bed was shoved inside, and the hum of unseen machinery was omnipresent.

"Ah, Mr. Sumeragi…" a familiar slippery voice intoned. "That was quite a nap you took. But then, it was quite a powerful dart my Ritsuko used. It's the kind they use to take down tigers…" As he spoke, Mr. Ishida leaned over the restrained onmyouji, taunting him with a coy smile. "What's wrong, don't believe me?"

Subaru turned his head to avoid the man's cruel gaze and his breath that reeked of tobacco. "It was you…" he growled. "You're the one who killed my daughter… You murdered her…"

"Aww, are you still hung up on that?" Ishida asked with feigned sympathy. "Well, I feel for you. I really do. But don't you think it's time to move on? After all, you still haven't asked me why I've brought you here. You see, we Ressurectors have big plans for you. And I think you will be quite excited when you see what we have in store."

"Do whatever you want to me," the prisoner said softly, his eyes glazed and listless. "You've already taken from me the only thing that made my life worth living… the only thing I cared about…"

"Oh, I think you'll care about this." As Tetsuo Ishida said this he adjusted Subaru's restraining bed so it was nearly vertical and the medium had a clear view of the enormous room. His blood turned to ice water when he saw what was in front of him. If his stomach hadn't been painfully empty, Subaru was sure he would have vomited. Right before his eyes was a large cylindrical tank filled with a greenish liquid and submerged in the liquid was the sleeping form of Seishirou Sakurazuka.

Throbbing pain was the first thing Midori felt, even before her eyes had opened. It felt like her head was on fire, but when she reached to touch her stinging temple she found that it had been bandaged up nicely. The young lady's weary eyelids opened with a start and she sprang upright.

"D-dad?" she asked eagerly. As she took in her surroundings, however, Midori realized that she was wrapped in a quilt, laying on a futon in a room she had never seen before. It was a quaint room in an old-fashioned house, not unlike the Sumeragi home in Kyoto. A pretty woman with a long brown braid and wire-framed glasses entered through the only door carrying a tray with a steaming cup of tea.

"You're awake," she said kindly. "You gave us quite a scare… thought you might not make it through the night."

Midori blinked several times in succession, trying to get a firm grasp of what was going on. It was a difficult task considering she was still rather groggy.

"W-where am I?" she asked drowsily. " How did I get here? And who… who are you?"

"My name is Mimi," the woman answered as she handed the injured girl the cup of tea. "Careful, it's hot… This is my mother's house… near Osaka. She found you yesterday in a field a couple miles away. You were unconscious and bleeding pretty badly."

"Osaka?" Midori uttered to herself in disbelief. "That train must have been off course… could it all have been part of some elaborate trap?" With aching brow furrowed she continued to ponder quietly until she suddenly remembered what was missing. "Dad!" she blurted out. "My dad? Did you find him? Did you see him? He's tall and he's got dark hair… and… and his right eye is blind!"

The woman named Mimi just looked down sadly and shook her head.

"Oh my God!" the younger girl stammered. "He's… he's dead?" Her face was frozen in a mask of terror. Could her father really be dead?

"Oh! No!" Mimi replied exuberantly. Then her tone dropped a note. "That is to say… I don't know. My mother said she found you alone… nobody else anywhere near…"

"Oh… well, I guess that's better than finding his body," Midori said sadly. "But still… he's gone. I can't believe he's gone…" Her tender age showed through as tears now flowed freely from her amber brown eyes. Her caretaker promptly got down on her knees and embraced the girl tenderly, as if she was family.

"Don't worry," she comforted. "I'll help you sort everything out, I promise. But right now you need to rest. You've suffered a serious trauma." With these words, Mimi gently laid Midori back down on her futon and tucked the fluffy quilt tightly around her. "Try to lay still. I'm sure wherever your father is, he's worried about you and he'd want you to take care of yourself."

"I guess you're right," the young one sighed. "My name is Midori, by the way, Midori Sumeragi. And you… you took care of me… even though you don't know me. You and your mother… I owe you my life."

The braided woman looked positively befuddled at this remark. "Of course," she said. "Who could ignore another human being who was hurt and needed help? It's only natural that people should take care of each other."

A smile that wasn't at all forced found its way onto Midori's lips. She wondered if it was mere dumb luck that she had been found by such a compassionate, selfless family, or if there was some greater power looking out for her. By now the hot chamomile tea had gotten into her system and she was feeling much calmer.

"Midori, can I ask you something?" Mimi asked. Midori could tell from her tone that she had been holding this question in, waiting for the right time to ask it. "Do you remember what happened to you? I'm just wondering how a pretty young girl could end up in the middle of nowhere with a five inch gash in her head."

Midori hesitated. She had to pause for a second in order to recall what exactly did happen the previous day. "I was on a train with my dad and it stopped for some reason… and then these guys in black suits attacked us. One of them hit me on the head with something… they must have taken my father after I passed out. I-I just can't figure out why anyone would want to do something bad to him. He's the nicest guy in the world!"

As the girl was telling her story a new person entered the room. She was an older woman, probably in her fifties, but her physical similarities to Mimi were still evident. Midori realized immediately that this was the mother who had rescued her.

"Oh my," the eldest lady said. "You're finally awake, little one. Is your head alright?"

"It hurts," said Midori shyly, touching her bandaged head. "But thanks to you and your daughter I'm still alive." Then she sat up and extended her hand in greeting. "Midori Sumeragi."

"Michiko Arisugawa," the woman introduced herself. Her smile was warm and wide, but in her eyes there was a trace of some passed tragedy, a hidden sadness.

"Mom," Mimi interrupted. "I think I'll go get started on dinner now… I'll see both of you later." And with that she exited leaving an awkward silence between the relative strangers still in the room.

"You have a lot of books," the younger lady commented as she gazed around the room to the well-stocked shelf.

"Ah, you like to read?" asked Mrs. Arisugawa curiously. "Feel free to browse through my collection."

"Thank you," said Midori graciously. Reading a book might help keep her mind off of Subaru's disappearance long enough for her to get some rest. Upon getting to her feet, Midori was surprised to discover that she was dressed in a lovely clean yukata.

Michiko could read the confusion on the young lady's face and responded lightheartedly. "Your clothes were soaked through, so Mimi changed you. I hope you don't mind."

"N-not at all," said the girl, though she was blushing a bit. "Your daughter is very good at taking care of people."

"She is," the mother sighed. "After her father died, Mimi and her husband moved in with me to help take care of the house."

"That's awfully sweet," said Midori, though she was now eagerly scanning the bookshelf. Her eyes came to a stop on a small, framed photograph. "What a cute little boy!" she exclaimed. "Is he your grandson?"

The trace sadness that had lingered in Michiko's eyes now showed itself as clear as crystal. She extended an aging hand and gently lifted the picture of a spiky-haired toddler from the dusty shelf.

"This," she said slowly. "Is my son… was my son…"

Midori let out a little gasp before she began to ask a question. "Is he…?"

"I don't know if he's dead or alive," Mrs. Arisugawa replied, detecting the end of the girl's question. "No. He was taken away from me a long time ago, when he was just three years old. Someone told me my son was special, that he had some higher calling… But they had to take him away… and for some reason, I let them…"

As she shared her sad memory, the woman's fist clenched and her eyes closed. Still, twin drops of managed to squeeze their way out and streak down her cheeks. "It's selfish, I know," she continued. "But I wish I had fought for him… I wish I could have kept him with me, with his family who loves him… My Sorata…"

The anguish of Michiko Arisugawa hit Midori like a powerful wave and was now pulling her heart deep underwater, back to sea. Even after many years apart, this woman still loved the little boy in that photograph, still felt the searing pain of losing him as if it happened yesterday. But it was only yesterday that Midori had lost Subaru, a realization that ignited a fire deep inside her. If she had to miss her father this much for the rest of her life she would die of grief for sure.

"I'm going to find my dad!" she declared out loud, catching the older woman by surprise. "It's not selfish to fight for the people you love! If it is then… then I guess I'm selfish too! But I don't care! I'm going to find my dad! No matter what it takes!"

"M-Miss Sumeragi?" Michiko said, stunned. Then a smile that seemed almost proud spread over her features, accentuating small creases at the corners of her eyes. "You're quite a remarkable girl, Midori Sumeragi… and I wish you the best of luck in finding your father. If there is anything my daughter or I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask."

"Oh, no!" Midori said humbly, though still invigorated. "You have done more than enough… Much more!"

The prospect of reading a book and calming down had now been completely forgotten. All the onmyouji's daughter could think about now was how to go about getting him back. I can't do it all by myself, she thought. But that's okay… like dad said; it's all right to need help. I know! I'll talk to Mr. Aoki… and Mrs. Shiyuu. They've known dad longer than anyone. Maybe one of them might know who could've kidnapped him… and where he might be now… I have to get back to Tokyo!

It was a t this moment that Midori noticed her clothes hung over a chair in the corner of the room, and with them was her purse.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Arisugawa," she said politely. "Do you mind if I call someone for a ride home? I don't want to be a burden to you any longer. You've been so good to me… but I have to go and look for him."

"I understand," was all the preternaturally kind woman said.

Rifling through her purse, Midori found her cell phone and her Hello Kitty organizer. Apparently the folks who kidnapped Subaru had no interest in robbing his daughter. Maki's family was at the beach this week and Shinya's was camping in the mountains. Their vacation phone numbers were both written in the planner. Midori quickly flipped through the pages only to make a unsettling discovery: the page containing the phone numbers was gone.

"The paper spell!" she gasped quietly. "The paper spell I threw at those guys in black, I must've written it on the back of that page!" Though discouraged, the girl decided not to panic. There had to be someone else who could give her a ride. After all, her father's life was at stake. She leafed through the entire little planner and was mortified to discover only one phone number was left written in it. The name next to it was Professor Fuuma Munou.

To be continued…